Can filling machine



0CLA4, l 1 PEARSON x CAN FILLING MACHINE ,g1/wanton Jari Pea/"6071 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 31a/vento@ Oct. 4, 1932. J. PEARSON CAN FILLING MACHINE Filed Aug. l5, 19%7 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 r/ /ll/ l/ fwuc'nfoz KZ peana 0 71 Oct. 4, 1932. J. PEARSQN CAN FILLING MACHINE Filed Aug. 13. 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Oct. 4, 1932 foNITED STATES eafrarer eri-uca man rnAnsON, or ONTARIO, CALIFORNIA, ,AssIGNon'Or ONE-HALF To I-IUiinaT'r.

n LUCAS, or ONTARIO, YmiriironrrA.

. oAN FILLING" MACHINE y Application-filed August 13, ieaapseriai No. eaaccv.

This invention relates to mechanism for automatically filling cans or like containers eral object of the invention is to provide a relatively simple, positively operated mechanism whereby fruit or other commodities may be measured and discharged VintoV a can and pressed into the can before thecan is sealed.

A further object is to provide mechanism of this character which includes a hopper for containing the commodity, a vertically -movable measuring cup operating vertically pingpthe measuring cup so as to dischargeit into a spout whereby it is immediately discharged into a can.

Another obj ect is lto provide means whereby the capacity of the measuring cup may beV regulated.

Still another Object is to provide meansfor returning the measuring cup to its` vertical position after it has been tipped to discharge its contents, said means being operated automatically.

A further object is to mechanism which includes a hopper and a column supporting the measuring cup'which is movable vertically through the hopper so that it will not crush or damage the fruit contained within the hopper.

' ther objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation partly in section of a can filler constructed in accordance with my invention; p

Figure 2 is a front elevation partly in section;

Figure 3 is avertical sectional view on the line 3 3 of Figure 2;"

Figure l is a top plan view of the structure shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3; Y Figure 5 is an Venlarged sectionall view through the cup showing in dotted lines the cup tipped;

Figure 6 is a top plan view of the cup and a portion of the wall between the main hopper and the auxiliary hopper.

provide a tiltingV i pivoted at'16 uponthe column or lifter bar.

Figure 'l' is a detailed elevation of the tilter operating lever and its cam. l with fruit or other commodities, and the genj Iunderstood that this device may-be used for filling bags, sacks or any containers, or mere- 60 ly for the purpose of measuring fruitvand p discharging it into a spout, permitting the through the hopper, and means for overtlpfruit to Vbe afterwards treated.

In these drawings, 10 designates a hopper of anysuitable character, in which the fruit- 65 is placed, which hopper may be of any desired size. Disposed below the hopper is a guide 11 through which slides thepreferably cylindrical column 12 or lifter bar. Atene sideA of the hopper 10, 'there is rdisposed a'o chamber 13 or discharge hopper. Mounted upon the upper end of the column or lifter bar is a measuring cup 14. VThis measuring cup is Y provided with the shank 15 extending down-ward from its bottom, this shank beingf-fa .certain details of construction whichwill be hereafter stated.

Thelifter bar 12 at its lower end is connected byan adjustable link 17 to' a lever p18 pivoted at 19 to a bracket 20. "The foppositeend'ofV this lever is pivoted to a sleeve 2 9G 18a and has screw-threaded engagement with the shank of the link 17,this link 17 having a member 17 pivoted to the lower end ofthe column 12. This lever is actuated by a roller'21` mounted on a'dislr 22 carried on A Thus, 4by the rotation of the shaft 23 and EGO has been lifted up, is tilted, then returned by a nut 39a.

and then carried downward again intothe fruit or vegetables and the cup is again lifted, and so on. Each time the cup is lifted,

it is tilted to discharge the contents of the cup, and for this purpose, as shown in Figure 2, I have provided a shaft 27 mounted on bracket 27a, the shaft having a downwardly projecting finger 29 and an arm 29a. The extremity of the finger 29 carries upon it a rubber roller -28 and the arm 29a is connected by a link 30 to a lever 31 by an adjustable clevis 39 held in adjusted position Thislever is pivoted at'one of its ends, as at 32, toa bracket and is operated by means of a cam 33.

When the cup, has been raised fully out of the hopper, the cam 33 operates to permit downward movement ofthe link 30, thus` swinging the linger 29 to cause the ball or roller 28 to tilt the cup upon its pivot 16 to cause the cup to move from a vertical position to a discharge position. The cup swings over into the chamber or hopper 13 which is vformed with a downwardly extending spout 34 beneath which the can A is disposed. Y

For the purpose of returning the cup to its vertical position, I provide a crank arm 35 carried on "al shaft 35a, the shaft being mounted in bearings 36. This arm v35 carries a rubber roller 37, the arm being capable of being raised from the position shown in Figure 3 to the position shown in Figure 1 or lowered again to theY position shown yin Figure 3. VThe shaft 35a is connected by links 37 and 38 to a lever 40 pivoted atv 41 upon a supporting bracket and `engaged by a cam 42V mounted upon the shaft 43. When the cup is 'tilted by the. nger 29, it will'be received upon the rubber roller 37 which will be in the positionshown in F ig'ureV 3 and when the fruit has been discharged from the cup into the hopper 13, the cam 42 will elevate the lever 40 and, lifting the arm 35, return the measuring cup 14 to its initial position,

the lever 40 being again lowered to lower the arm 35. When the cup 14 has been returned to its original position upon the column 12, `the column thenk moves downward to the bottom of the hopper and the cup is again filled. The can A is preferably carried upon an intermittently movable conveyor, forl instance, a belt 43 and after the fruit has been discharged into the can, the belt moves one step to bring the new Vcan beneath the spout 34. f

The cam 33 is mounted upon a shaft 44 which carries upon it the gear wheel 45.

These gear wheels are both driven by any means, as'forins'tanceby a counter shaft and pinions v(not shown).

It will be seen that with this construction,

-as soon as the measuring cupfhas been lifthopper 10, where it becomes filled withthe Jward, carrying the cup again into the hopper.

While I have illustrated in Figure 3 a bell crankmechanism for tilting the can from its vertical position'to its' discharge position, I

. do not wish to be limited to this, as .I may use means such asshownr in VFigure 7, where a 'bracket 48-,isv mounted upon the hopper and extends above the path 'of movement `of the measuring cup 14, ythis bracket having adjustably mounted thereon a downwardly and laterally inclined arm or tilter 49, illustrated as having a horizontal portion which is slottedat 50 vfor enga-gement with the bracket and is held Vin adjusted position by the wing -nut 51. By this means, when the cup rises,

the lcup will strike this inclined member 49 and will then be tilted from its vertical positionto its discharge position. The cup is to be returned to its vertical position by the means lheretofore described.

The cup is preferably constructed as illustrated :in Figure 5, having an adjustable ,falsebottom 52. This is mounted upon an adjustmentv stud 53 which extends down The gear wheel 24 is mounted upon the shaft 23.

through the stationary bottom 54 of the cup 'iT-'3 and is provided with the knurled adjustment nut 55. 'I his will permit a downward movement of. the false bottom 52 but will prevent an upward movement of the false bottom beyond a predetermined point regulated by the nut. Y

Extending upward from the stationary bottom 54 are the studsV 56 carrying the coiled compression springs Y57 which bear against the bottom of the cup. This permits the bottom ofthe cup to yield slightly under weight until the false bottom 52moves downward against' the studs 56. The extent to which the false bottom 52'may be raised under the action of the spring 57 depends upon drain off throughV these drainage openings as the cup moves from the hopper.

i Preferably the can llingmecha-nism will be mounted upon a supporting frame 60 having legs and provided with suitable bearings for the shafts 2.6 and 411 and apertures for the.

end of the column. will bey supported upon a knuckle 17a which carries the screw-threadedstem `17' which is engaged by the screwthreaded end `of member 18a which is pivoted to the extremity of the lever 18. rlhus by removing the ,pivot bolts of either one of these parts 17a or 18a, it is possible to aljust the column l2 vertically to secure eX- actly the proper stroke for the column. lt

will be seen that the cup 14 has its shank 15 disposed to one side of vthe middle so that this cup, when turned over, will be disposed directly in alignment with the column 12 so that a slight impetus will act to tilt the cup from its vertical position to its discharge position. l p

The operation of this mechanism will be `obvious from what has gone before. Assuming that the hopper is illed with fruit, then as the litter l2 rises, the cup, which has heretofore been disposed below the bottom of the hopper, rises through the hopper so that the cup is filled, and when the cup reaches it-s most elevated position, the cup is tilted by means of. the oscillating rubber-covered roller'QS to its discharge position, that is, the

dotted position shown in Figure 5. As it is tilted, it is received upon the rubber-covered roller 37, this roller being in a lowered position when the cup has discharged its contents. The crank arm 35 now swings upward, returning the cup to its initial position, and then the column lowers, carrying the cup downward into and through the hopper and into the guide l1 inv order to reiill the cup, As the cup turns over, it discharges into the hopper kor chamber 13 and i out through the spout 34. lt will be seen that l nave provided at the lower ends of the rods U30 and 38 anadjustable connection with the corresponding levers 18 and lO comprising a biturcated link 89 for each ot these rods through which the rods'pass and have screwthreaded engagement, the links being held in adjusted position on each rod by means ot the nut 39a; Provision is thus made for the adjustment ot either of the rods 30 or 538 so as to adjust the throw oi the cranks supporting the rubber rollers 28 and 87. Provision is also made through adjustable clevis 18o for adjusting the column l2 vertically.

Preferably, and as illustrated, the lowerv This mechanism may be used for illing any size can, it being simply necessary to regulate the size ofthe measuring cup or to provide in some cases that the measuring cup shall operate twice or more times to `any movement of the belt i3 which carries the cam A. "lhis'machinewill handle any fruit or vegetable to be canned unless the articles must be placed in the can in a certain deiinite position, such as canned asparagus. rllhe speed-caribe regulated totill as many as thirty cans a minute, doing away with as many as twenty to eighty packers, according tothev size of the cup used. 1

lWhile l have illustrated certain details of A'zonstruction and arrangement of parts which I believe Vto'be particularly effectivml do not wish to be limited'to the enact-details or the exact arrangement, as it is obvious that Ymany.changes might be made without departing Jfrom the spirit of the invention as delined in the appended claims.

1. A filling machine ot' the character described including a" hopper, a litter movable upward through the hopper, a measuring cup open only at its upper end pivotally connected to the upper end oi the lifter and movable therewith through the hopper the cup lnormally resting upon the upper end ol' the litter, means for reciprocating the litter, means exterior to the litter and disposed `aboi/'e the hopper for tilting the'measuring cup to discharge its contents when the litter has reached its fully elevated position, and means exterior to the lifter for returning the measuring cup to an upright position on the top of th lifter when the contents of the measuring cup has been discharged.

2. A lling machine of the character de-A scribed, comprising a hopper, a litter movable vertically through the hopper, a cup having a shank pivoted to the lifter, the measuring cup being movable with the litter upward through the hopper, a spout, means` exterior to the lifter'and extending over the top of the hopper for tilting the cup when the lifter yhas reached its highest position tothus discharge the contents of the cup into the spout, and means exterior to the lifter then acting to return the measuring cup to its initial position Vprior to the descent of the lifter.

l3. A illing machine of the character described, comprising a hopper, a lifter movable vertically through the hopper, means or reciprocating the lifter, a measuring cup normally resting uponthe upper' end of the lifter, oscillating means mounted opposite the position of the cup when at its highest pointand'acting to tilt the cup from its vertical receiving position to a tilted discharge position, a spout' into which the Vcup discharges, and oscillating means adapted to receive the cup as it is tilted and thenlift it back to its initial p osition, and means for oscillating'said tiltingwmeans and the cup returning means.

4. A filling machine of the character `described, comprising a hopper, a lifter movable vertically through the hopper, a measuring cup having a. flat bottom resting upon the upper end of the lifter, the'cup `having an offset shank pivoted to the lifter, an oscillating member mounted opposite to the uppermost position of the measuring cup and when oscillated acting to til-t the measuring cupto. a discharge position, a spout into which the measuring cup discharges,

1 and an oscillating member acting to return the cup to its initial position after it has discharged its contents, and means operating the lifter, oscillating tilting means and the cup returning means' comprising aV driven shaft, and kcams mounted upon Athe .driven shaft and by which said'several instrumentalities are operatively engaged.

5. A filling machine of the characterdescribed, comprising a. hoppera lifter movable vertically through the hopper, a measuring cup having a flat bottom resting upon the upper end of the lifter, the cup having an offset shank pivoted to the lifter, an oscillating member mounted opposite to the uppermost position of the measuring cup, and

whenoscillated acting to tilt the measuring cup to a discharge position, a spout into which the measuring cup discharges, an oscillating member acting to return the cup to its initial kposition after it has discharged, means operating the lifter, the oscillating tilting means and the cup returning means comprising a driven shaft, cams mounted upon the driven shaft, and levers operatively if connected to said several instrumentalities and operated by said cams.

G. A filling machine including a. hopper, a lifter movable vertically through the hopper, a measuring cup adapted to rest flat against the Vupper end of the lifter and having an offset shank pivoted to the lifter, an oscillatable member` disposed immediately opposite the uppermost position of the cup and adapted when oscillated to tilt the cup upon its pivot to discharge the contents thereof, a spout into which the measuring cup discharges, means for returning the measuring cup to its initial position, comprising a lever having a roller at one end bearing against il the measuring cup, a link depending from said lever, a vertically disposed link for operatingthe tilting means and an adjustable link connected to the lower fendk of the lifter,

` levers to which the several links are respectively connected, cams operating on the several levers, and means for driving said cams.

7. A filling machine including a supporting frame, a hopper, a tubular guide mounted upon the support-ing frame and support- 7"' ing the hopper, a column movable'u'pward through the tubular guide and through the hopper and having a vertical slot at its upper end, a measuring cup having an off-set shank disposed within said slot and pivoted to the walls thereof, the cup normally resting vertically upon the upper end of the column, means for intermittently liftingrthe column upward through the guide and hopper, means exterior to the column and `cup acting when the cup has been entirely lifted to tilt Lthe cup to discharge its contents over one wall of the hopper, means exterior to the column and cup acting to return said cup to its vertical position after it has been tilted, and means for actuating the column, the tilting means and the cup-returning means comprising a shaft, and cams mounted upon the shaft and engageable with said several means. g

8. ln a filling machine of the character described, a hopper, an article lifter, vertically movable through the hopper, a cuppivoted to the top of the lifter for tipping movement, and means outwardof and extraneous to the lifter and disposed at the upper end of the path of movement of the lifter for causing saidlcup to tilt beyond its center and dropby gravity aft-er the measuring cup has been lifted to a predetermined height.

9. in a filling machine of the character described, ay hopper, an article lifter,'vertically movable through the hopper, a measuring cup pivoted'to the top of the lifter for tipping movement, and means outward of and extraneous to the lifter for causing said cup to tilt beyond its center and drop by gravity after the measuring cup has been lifted to a predetermined height, and cushioning means limiting the downward swing of the measuring cup and means acting automatically to return the cup to its initial position, including a` roller against which the cup strikes. when it descends and means for.elevating said roller to lift the cup to a vertical position, said moans after the cup 'has been tilted to a discharge position operating automatically.

l0. in a filling machine of the character described,-a hopper, an article lifting mem- -ber movable vertically through the hopper l and against one wall thereof, a cup hingedly "1 mounted upon the upper end of-the lifter foriswinging movement downward and outward into a position discharging over said wall, a spout into which the cup discharges, means acting automatically to tilt the cup to a discharge position after the lifter has moved upward to a predetermined position. said means being extraneous to the lifter and disposed outward thereof, and -means mounted upon the wall of the hopper exteriorly thereof to receive the cup when it is tilted to a discharge position and return the cup to a vertical position Vupon the topy of the lifter.

ll. In a filling machine of the character described, a hopper, a member movable vertically through the hopper adjacent one wall of the hopper, a cup pivotally mounted cup to its initial position.

l2. In a filling machine of the character described, a hopper, an article lifter, vertically movable through the hopper a cup pivoted to the top of the lifter for tilting movement, means outward of and extraneous to the lifter for causing said cup to tilt beyond its center and drop by gravity to a discharge position after the cup has been lifted to a predetermined height, and means separateV 2 from the tilting means and disposed eXteriorly of the lifting means acting automatically to return the cup toits initial position. In testimony Whereoi:l I hereunto ailiX my signature.

JARL PEARSO. 

